sub rosa
/sʌb ˈrəʊzə
/adjective & adverb formal
Happening or done in secret: [as adverb]: the committee operates sub rosa [as adjective]: sub rosa inspections...
- Sub Rosa is a Latin term meaning secrecy, literally translating to ‘under the rose’. The rose in ancient times was a symbol of sworn confidence of participants at a meeting.
Synonyms
in secret, secretly, in private, privately, in confidence, confidentially, behind closed doors, surreptitiously, discreetly, furtively, clandestinely, on the quiet, on the sly, unofficially, off the record, between ourselves;
Latin in camera;
French à huis clos;
Italian in petto
informal on the q.t., between you, me, and the gatepost/bedpost
archaic under the rose
Origin
Latin, literally 'under the rose', as an emblem of secrecy.